We're huge fans of getting the kids out of the house into the great outdoors and having fun out there. Fresh air is always good for them, and there is so much to do outside to challenge them and teach them too. I've always assumed we were pretty good at this but since reading 100 Family Adventures I've realised that there's actually so much more for us to do as the children get a bit older. The Meek Family are teacher parents Tim and Kerry and their two daughters Amy (11) and Ella (9) and they hit the news when they announced that they were taking a year out of formal education in 2014 - ... read more
Summer 2014: Day 9 – Getting ready
It's a bit strange writing all this in the past, but I'm determined to record all this summer properly, but I was also determined to enjoy our holiday without spending all my time tied to a laptop. Day nine of our summer was one of those days which in a way seems like there's no real point in recording it. It was the day before we set off on holiday so most of it involved trying to look after over excited children whilst also trying to remember everything that we needed to take away with us, buy a few last minute bits, and trying not to let the kids unpack as fast as I could ... read more
BritMums Live and beyond to Red Bull
Last weekend saw over 500 bloggers descend on central London for BritMums Live! 2014. I enjoyed last year's conference so much that I booked a ticket for 2014 just a few hours after getting home. Once again it didn't fail to disappoint, but at the same time I think I have moved on a bit since then, and my blogging certainly has too. As well as being an excellent opportunity to meet up with other bloggers the conference featured some really useful sessions which I felt that I learnt a huge amount from. My notebook is full of plans for a new blog design, ideas on how to use Pinterest better ... read more
The Christmas that was…
It's been very quiet here on the blog over the last week or so. We've had a full house this Christmas and I've struggled to find time to blog inbetween entertaining guests, generally running the house, feeding Master C (almost constantly some days) and helping Little Miss C enjoy Christmas. The box that our delicious Christmas Cake from Heaven is a Cupcake came in Things have been very different this year from all the previous Christmas Days that Mr C and I have spent together. This was the first year that we spent the day in our own home, but also the first year without my dad. ... read more
Three hours
I'm sure I can't be the only person who gets to the end of the day and wonders what I've actually acheived that day. When you're at home with little ones it can be quite easy to just concentrate on "surviving" and it can be easy to lose track of what has kept you busy all day. Realistically though, stay at home parents usually acheive loads, but they simply don't have the time to step back and take stock of just what they have done. This morning Mr C went out to a first aid course so I thought I'd keep track of just what I got up to in that time - admitedly, ... read more
Flying solo…
Tomorrow's the big day. Mr C returns to work after a fortnight's paternity leave and I'm going to be home alone with a toddler and a newborn. Millions of mums (and dads) manage so I figure I should be able to do so too. After all, only one of them can move around under their own steam whilst the other one stays put still. Master C still sleeps for large amounts of the day and if I'm lucky Little Miss C may even have an afternoon nap to give me a bit of peace. Ok , so I may be a bit more tired after the over-night feeds, but I've got tea and even a bar of Dairy Milk in the ... read more
Introducing…
... Master C. Born in the early hours of Saturday morning and allowed home late on Saturday night. So far he seems to enjoy sleeping, eating, filling his nappy and wearing lots of hand knitted goodies. Little Miss C has gone from being slightly bemused to being incredibly excited about "her baby". As she keeps telling anyone who will listen "he's only little". ... read more
Taking a step back
This week was supposed to be a nice little "holiday" between Mr C leaving one job and starting a new one. We acknowledged that there were likely to be some little jobs left to finish off in our new loft conversion, but the reality is that we've actually been running round like headless chickens all week trying to make decisions, but things and get everything sorted. Today we've made quite an effort to make the day a bit calmer and fun. A spot of baking - mainly prompted by the need to use up some bananas that were going very brown in the fruit bowl - a pub lunch and a wander ... read more
Nearly there
The end might finally be in sight. The major building work is complete. The majority of the decorating is done. The bathroom is installed. The new tiles are up. OK, so there are still a load of little jobs to complete and the small matter of changing goalposts with the building inspecting people meaning that today there are electricians all over the place installing extra smoke detectors, but, if all goes according to plan this time next week we might have just spent the first night in our new bedroom. Little Miss C has already moved into her new bigger bedroom and is taking great delight in ... read more
Nice things
This latter half of July has been a funny old time. It started with me becoming a year older, not something that I usually get all that fussed about, but despite a bad start to the day itself I also had a lovely spread out series of celebrations and treats. Things certainly started to look up with the postman appeared at the door with a large box of treats from Bettys - with strict instructions on the outside that it should be opened straight away as it contained edible delights the postman looked disappointed when I signed for it! Both Mr C and Little Miss C must have been busy ... read more